Structured Data

Structured data is information organized in a fixed, predictable format so a computer program can read and interpret it directly, rather than having to infer meaning from free-form text.

Structured data is the broader concept; schema markup is one specific application of it, used to label the content of a webpage using the shared vocabulary maintained by Schema.org.

Structured data itself is not limited to webpages: a spreadsheet, a product database, and a JSON file returned by an API are all examples of structured data, since each stores information in defined fields rather than as unformatted prose. On a webpage, structured data is typically written as JSON-LD, though it can also appear as Microdata or RDFa embedded directly in the HTML tags.

The opposite of structured data is unstructured data, such as a plain paragraph of text, an image, or a video, where the meaning is not explicitly labeled and a program must use additional processing to extract any facts from it.

Example

A product page might store its price, availability, and brand name as unstructured text within a paragraph of marketing copy, or it might store the same three facts as structured data, each labeled with its own field name such as price, availability, and brand. A search engine or shopping feed can read the structured version directly, while it has to guess at the meaning of the unstructured paragraph.

Key characteristics

• Machine readable: Structured data is organized so software can parse it without needing to interpret natural language.
• Field based: Each piece of information sits in a defined field, such as name, price, or date, rather than as running text.
• Multiple use cases: It powers databases, spreadsheets, APIs, and webpage markup, not only search engine features.
• Format dependent: On the web, structured data is commonly written as JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa, each with its own syntax rules.

Related terms

• Schema markup – the specific vocabulary used to add structured data to a webpage so search engines can read it.
• SEO – the broader practice of improving a page so it ranks and performs well in search results, which structured data can support.
• On-page SEO – the category of optimization controlled directly on the page, which structured data falls under when implemented as schema markup.
• Meta description – a distinct HTML element written for human readers, unlike structured data, which is written for machine parsing.

Frequently asked questions

Is structured data the same as schema markup?

No, structured data is the broader concept of machine-readable, field-based information, while schema markup is one specific vocabulary used to add structured data to a webpage.

What is the opposite of structured data?

Unstructured data, such as plain paragraphs, images, or video, does not have its information organized into defined fields a program can parse directly.

Where is structured data used outside of webpages?

Spreadsheets, relational databases, and the JSON responses returned by many APIs are all common examples of structured data used outside of web content.

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